Congress and President Barack Obama steered the USA government clear of a shutdown Wednesday hours before a midnight deadline, approving temporary federal spending that does not defund a women’s health care provider as Republicans hoped.
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This week, the United States Congress hosted Planned Parenthood President Cecil Richards for questioning regarding it’s abortion practices. The bill, approved on pretty much a party-line vote, allows states to opt out of making Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for a host of reproductive health services the agency offers separate from abortion.
In Planned Parenthood’s first appearance before Congress since those videos emerged this summer, Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee argued that the group needs no taxpayer financing. She said the governor stands by his action and looks forward to responding to Planned Parenthood in court.
While Chaffetz said he was not suggesting Planned Parenthood broke the law, he did tell CNN that he had concerns about the organization’s spending on travel and salaries.
Watch Roland Martin, Rep. Brenda Lawrence, and the NewsOne Now panel discuss Tuesday’s Congressional hearing on Planned Parenthood in the video clip above.
Later, Blitzer said that about 75 percent of federal funding for Planned Parenthood is Medicaid reimbursements, prompting Chaffetz to tear into Planned Parenthood and the organization’s expenditures.
We believe someone can personally find abortion morally reprehensible, but still believe that the government should not be in the business of telling women what they can and can’t do in terms of their own health choices.
“We should have started this process months ago, but better late than never”, said the Senate’s Democratic Leader, Harry Reid. “We’re asking to lead on an issue other than just jobs”, Stemberger said.
All 11 national polls have shown that voters overwhelmingly support efforts to make sure women, men, and young people can continue to get high-quality, preventive health care at Planned Parenthood. The House voted 277-to-151 in favor of the spending bill.
What’s more, the notion to stop federal funding of PPFA is in itself flawed.
“One, is as we’ve already stated, federal money does not go for abortion”.
By law, federal tax dollars cannot fund abortions but can fund other services that Planned Parenthood provides.
“That means within the coming weeks we will again be negotiating with Republicans to avoid another shutdown”, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said.
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House conservatives, cheered on by a few Senate colleagues, had insisted that Planned Parenthood be punished for allegedly improperly selling fetal tissue harvested from abortions.
